Still Saving Lives--Just in a Different Way

Mustang Survival, the Canadian brand known for innovative solutions for the most demanding marine environments, has been saving the lives of water professionals for more than 50 years. Now, however, they're shifting their focus to front-line healthcare workers...providing protective gowns to those professionals putting their own lives on the line every day to save victims of the global coronavirus pandemic.

As of 11 a.m. April 1, the Mustang Survival factory in Burnaby, BC, officially went into production of the first 500 isolation gowns, a level 3 certified, fully waterproof gown designed and engineered to bring new levels of safety to individuals tirelessly fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. This achievement followed two weeks of collaboration with innovative and cutting-edge BC manufacturers and apparel companies (Boardroom Clothing and KenDor Textiles).

"With increased demand for PPE, there was a need to get ahead of problems in the supply chain and look to local sources to solve it," said Mark Anderson, chair of the BC Apparel & Gear Association and director of engineering at Burnaby-based Mustang Survival. "Our 50-year history of developing innovative solutions for both military and public-safety profesionals, combined with the unique advantage of being part of a cutting-edge design community in Vancouver, provided us with the ability to adjust and pivot our focus on developing a solution," Anderson added.

Diving into prototyping to rapid testing, Mustang Survival flipped the Waterlife Studio--their innovation lab in Burnaby--into a rapid-response facility dedicated to finding a solution for the public-safety crisis. Backed with the support of local healthcare officials to reach safety-certified status, what has resulted is a gown not only offering a local solution to depleting supply chains, but an increased level of safety for the workers themselves.

Once the plans are approved, Mustang Survival looks forward to taking their initiative global. By sharing their technical specifications for level 3 and level 2 medical gowns, manufacturers all over the world will be able to rally their own communities and unite suppliers with workers to produce gowns for their own local healthcare teams. The technical packages will be shared through the BCAG website (https://www.bcapparelandgear.com/covid19) and will include the pattern, technical details, and a list of certified materials approved for level 2 and level 3 gowns.

If all goes well in their first run, Mustang Survival intends to convert their Burnaby factory to full-time gown construction. With other local sewing houses and other manufacturers reopening to support the project, Mustang Survival is confident they can make a significant contribution to those putting their lives at risk every day fighting the virus.